News

The Koontz Center has cared for hundreds of patients with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer since its inception in 2016.

We’re talking about the important role of rehabilitation after amputation and the expertise at Saint Luke’s Rehabilitation Institute.

Mindy, a teacher in Blue Springs, has a family history of breast cancer, so it wasn’t a surprise when her doctor recommended she start annual mammograms at the age of 35.

When Maribeth Kammert first learned she had cancer in 2015, her world came to a stop. It was early stage breast cancer. “I was at Beauty Brands with my mom when I got the call. I went into the bathroom because I didn’t know how I would react. I didn’t cry,” said Maribeth. “I just had this instinct that I was going to take care of it, and God was going to take care of me. And if the outcome wasn’t what I wanted, I’d be okay with that.”

Tony Torchia, an 84-year-old grandfather in Overland Park, has been a loyal Saint Luke’s patient for many years. He never expected to be a patient at the Institute he donated to years prior.

Sixteen-year-old Cheri Rich has sewn more than 200 drain bags for Saint Luke's mastectomy patients as a way to give back to other families who are fighting the battle against cancer.

Lynn vividly remembers how she felt when she found out she had stage 2 breast cancer at age 44, shortly after cancer claimed her sister’s life.

Reconnecting with a former high school classmate turned out to be a saving grace in Lori’s life.

The 37-year-old Chillicothe wife and mother had two active teen boys, a full-time job, and had recently returned to college for to earn dual majors in business administration and organizational leadership. Then one day she felt a lump in her breast.

The statistic is sobering: One in eight women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Brandy Reed was a newlywed and a new mom to 4-month-old Jackson when her life took a completely unexpected turn.